Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-07-21
LIFE In ALASKA.
SOMETHING ABOUT OUR NORTHERN
TERRITORY AND ITS INHABITANTS

Methods-The Burisl-Scenes on the
Seal Breeding Islands.
The buildings in Sitka are very crude.
The chief structure of interest is the old
Greek church, built by the Russians nearly
a century ago 1t has been carefully kept in
trim from time to time, and forms the first
object of curiosity to the traveller The
Creoles worship in this church. The men
stand or kneel on the right side and the women
on the left, there being no pews or seats of
any kind. Their strict attention during vor-
ship is wonderful to witness No one turns to
look toward the right or left; all eyes are kept
riveted, as it were, upon the priest, who
seldom speaks, but keeps constantly moving
about in symbolic worship.
The Indians have their own chapel which
was also erected by the Russians This shanty,
for it is nothing more, is fast going to ruin
The Sitkan Indians are loathsome thrift
less set, afflicted with scrofulous and pulmonic
diseases. Their bodies are large and out of
proportion with their short legs, due to lack
of pedestrian exercise and constant canoeing
The houses of the Indians are from fifteen
to ninety-five feet square. The roof slopes
from the center to within five or six feet of
the ground. In the center of the roof is a
hole left open for the escape of smoke, there
being no chimneys. The fireplaces in these
''rancheries, ~ as these houses are termed, are
made in the center directly under the roof
hole This contrivance is built of mud piled
up three feet high, forming pit like in
closure, where fire is kept constantly burn
ing and over which several pots hang exhal-
ing the mingling fumes of Goldfish, herring
and salmon Several families live in one
rancherie which consists Of one room with
no window or ventilation save the smoke hole
and the circular hole about five feet high
used as a door. The squaws squat around
the fire, tasting at intervals from the cook
pots, while their babies are strapped to pieces
of board and put up against the wall for
hours at time. They appear Indifferent to
the outcries of their infants, who in chorus
make perfect bedlam, and they go on chat
tering among themselves, endeavoring to
reach a higher key than the shrill babies
voices The more stormy the weather the
less clothing the Indians wear. They evil
IDENTIFY consider clothing more for ornament
than use. This accounts for the many con-
sumptives among the Arctic Indians.
INDIAN DOCTORS METHODS.
Their "shamans'' or doctors are treated
with great respect, and to any other than an
Indian they are the most loathsome, repul-
sive, unsightly creatures. Their healing
power is regarded as lessened BY the use Of
water, in fact any cleansing fluid or sub
stance. Their hair is allowed to grow in an
unkempt condition, their faces fairly seem
groaning under an accumulation of many
years. dirt, until Old Nick himself cannot
look more revolving or more horrible These
''shomansn are woefully ignorant of all medi-
cal cures. They know nothing of herbs and
weeds calculated to heal Their cures are
supposed to be made through magic An In
dian never sends for a physician until he
feels himself sick unto death. They are all
equally apathetic regarding their physical
condition; they move around uncomplain-
ingly until they have no longer the strength
to creep about Then it is the "shamann is
summoned. He in turn calls in the neighbors
far and near. They flock in and gather
around the patient in standing or suuatting
position. The 'shaman" places himself in
front of the invalid and begins to chant in a
low voice, growing louder and louder, till the
dead might be aroused from their sleep by
the unearthly sounds rending the air. This
is kept up for hours, until the sick Indian,
through excitement, appears more animated
or, unable to endure the noise longer, sinks
into comatose state.
After death the body is placed in a sitting
position; the relatives join in a low chant for
two or three hours; then square box, about
the size and shape of an ordinary dry goods
box, is brought, and the corpse lifted in, still
in a sitting position, and thus it is buried
The females paint their faces in stripes with
red and blue paint and their teeth black as a
token of mourning.
THE SEAL ISLANDS
The islands of st. Paul and St George are
known as the seal islands, or seal breeding
islands. The male seals or bulls land upon
these islands during May and June to take up
their positions on the 4rookeries" to await
the arrival of the female seals, which do
not come up from the sea until three weeks
later. The bulls fight fiercely among them
selves for position on the rookeries, near the
sea, and not unfrequently kill each other in
these fierce combats The male seal is in its
full maturity at the age of six or seven years,
in length six or seven feet, weighing from
400 to 600 pounds.
The females, or cow seals, are on an aver
age about one-sixth the size of the male, from
four to five feet long, much more shapely in
form, weighing from 60 to 100 pounds They
are gentle in disposition and entirely devoid
of the pugilistic propensities of the male seal.
They bear their young after the age of three
years, and never bring forth their pups in the
water. Impelled by an accurate appreciation
of the time in which their period of CESSATION
expires, they land upon these rookeries and
place themselves under the protection of the
male seals The bulls are polygamous in
their feelings, for they gather about them
fifteen or twenty cow seals, and it is astonish-
ing to see with what lordly supervision this
one male seal guards his harem. He keeps a
constant eye upon the young pups and his
entire family until the close of the breeding
season, in September, when they disappear
into the sea from whence they came Each
seal bears but single pup at one time. She
is an Indifferent mother, allowing her young
to be taken from her without the slightest
concern. The seals are never killed during
the breeding season-May and June-and the
females at all times are e1empt.-L S. Fitz-
patrick in New Orleans Times Democrat